At CES, Netflix Adds Over 130 Countries to Streaming Service

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“You are witnessing the birth of a global TV network,” Reed Hastings, Netflix’s chief executive, said during a keynote address at International CES, the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.CreditCreditRobyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Netflix went live with its streaming television service in nearly every country across the world on Wednesday, an unexpected acceleration of the company’s aggressive quest for global ubiquity by the end of 2016.

Yet one major region on Netflix’s world map remains dark: China, home to nearly a quarter of the world’s broadband households. And in many of the 190 countries where Netflix now is available — including Turkey, Russia and Poland — the service is available in English, but not the local language.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Reed Hastings, chief executive of Netflix, said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon. “Because of the number of countries, it seems like we are ahead of plan. But we still have China — we still have a quarter of the world to go.”

Mr. Hastings’s cautious demeanor on the phone was in contrast to the more commanding pose he struck hours earlier when he announced at International CES, the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, that Netflix had simultaneously added more than 130 countries to its world service map.

“Right now, you are witnessing the birth of a global TV network,” Mr. Hastings said from the stage in a keynote address.

A montage of global flags scrolled in the background followed by a map of the world emblazoned with the hashtag #netflixeverywhere.

“Whether you are in Sydney or St. Petersburg, Singapore or Seoul, Santiago or Saskatoon, you now can be part of the Internet TV revolution,” Mr. Hastings added.

The proclamation was a bold move from Netflix to address growing skepticism about whether it can sustain its breakneck expansion and deliver on its promises.

Costs are running high for Netflix. In addition to its global rollout, the company plans to spend more than $6 billion in cash on programming in 2016, offering more than 600 hours of original series, films and other content. And after running roughly at break-even profitability through this year, Netflix has pledged to deliver material global profits starting in 2017.

International expansion is increasingly crucial for the company as growth slows in the United States.

The opportunity is big. While the United States has about 100 million broadband households, according to SNL Kagan, that is just a fraction of the 730 million total global broadband households.

Yet there are steep challenges, including whether Netflix will be able to land programming rights to series that appeal to customers around the globe and compete with local streaming rivals.

“International is really the place where people have a bigger sense of debate,” said Michael Nathanson, a media analyst with MoffettNathanson Research. “It has never been attempted before.”

Mr. Hastings said that Netflix was now in about 70 million homes and he expected the number of customers outside the United States to surpass the number domestically at some point in 2017. Netflix’s long-term goal is to reach 60 million to 90 million subscribers in the United States, but has yet to set a similar target internationally.

Around the globe, Netflix will be available for one monthly price — in India that is 500 rupees, or about $7.50 — and global subscribers will be able to watch Netflix original series as well as a library of licensed television shows and movies.

Netflix said that in 2016 it planned to release 31 new and returning original series, 24 films and documentaries, 30 original children series and stand-up comedy specials. They will become available to all subscribers at the same time around the world.

Netflix also announced that it was including Arabic, Korean and simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages already available.

The service will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria because of United States government restrictions on American companies.

China remains the major unanswered question, analysts said.

“That is the big wild card that Netflix and investors are waiting for,” said William V. Power, analyst at Baird Equity Research. “The questions are: Just how do you tackle that market with the various governmental or regulatory obstacles? Can they go it alone or do they partner with somebody?”

Mr. Hastings said that Netflix continued to explore its options in China but that establishing a service there could take many months or even some years. “We are building relationships and trying to be very patient,” Mr. Hastings said. “The strategy is to think very long term, to be like Disney, Apple or Starbucks in China.”

Wall Street is watching Netflix’s moves carefully. The company’s share price surged 135 percent in 2015, making it the top performer on the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. But some analysts question whether the company can maintain the momentum. On Monday, Netflix shares dropped after an analyst downgraded the company’s stock, citing concerns over weaker-than-expected subscriber growth in the United States.

Mr. Power, the analyst at Baird who downgraded the stock, outlined other risks, including escalating content costs, international expansion and rising competition from Amazon, Hulu and YouTube.

“Given Netflix’s high valuation, any missteps could prompt outsize movement in the stock,” Mr. Power said.

On Wednesday, Netflix shares increased about 9 percent.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Netflix Flips a Global Switch, With China Notably Absent . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe